1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collecting rope which is intended for use particularly for collecting of oil or other similar material from the surface of water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous types of ropes intended for the collecting of oil or similar material, their most common structural form comprising a substantially unelastic core, which thus acts as the supporting structure of the rope, and over this core a varying number of layers, which usually consist of a material which makes the rope float, and a topmost layer, which has bristle-like thorns or spikes, which do the actual collecting. Sometimes the bristles are attached directly to a supporting cable or the like.
Development of technology has imposed new demands on collecting ropes, and known ropes have not been capable or responding to these demands. In addition, special demands have been set on ropes which operate under difficult conditions run a high risk of breakage. One development of new technology is the rotation of steel ropes about their longitudinal axis in order to improve their collecting efficiency. One such solution is introduced in Finnish Patent Specification No. 60424. Thus, if a steel rope is rotated about its longitudinal axis and the rope is caught on, for example, a rock, it is probable that some part of the apparatus, either the rope or the rotating device, is damaged. This has not been foreseen in prior known solutions.